


Rush Hour

by theartofdreaming



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Height Differences
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-22
Updated: 2017-06-10
Packaged: 2018-06-09 22:13:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,311
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6925417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theartofdreaming/pseuds/theartofdreaming
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Iris is on her way to her first day of work at CCPN... when she quite literally bumps into a very cute guy on the subway...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is based on on a dream I had (yup, westallen is always on my mind, even my subconscious ships them apparently ;), plus I had read a few tumblr prompts about height differences the day before that... so yeah ^^  
> I want to add that I haven't taken the subway often (like, 15 times when I was in Berlin, New York and Boston some time ago), so I'm sorry if this doesn't make much sense... Also, I'm quite tall and therefore, not very knowledgableable about the struggles of short people, so I hope I didn't exaggerate too much ^^

For the umpteenth time, Iris smoothed out her dress and tightened the grip on her purse. Her glance nervously flitted back to the clock hanging above her. She knew that she was being ridiculous – the subway was going to arrive in one minute and even if it was late, she still had plenty of time to spare. But nevertheless, what would it look like if Iris was tardy on her _**first**_ day of work? She hadn't worked her ass off at college, stress-eaten through her dissertation and gotten footsore at Jitters to finally get the perfect job at Central City Picture News – only to be late on her first day! Iris had just finished her train of thought when the actual train pulled into the station. Iris couldn't help but be astounded by the enormous amount of people who were already inside the cars – and only four people got out. Iris boarded the subway, looking around the wagon – and of course, all the seats were taken. What was even worse though, there were so many people inside the car that it was practically impossible to get a hold on one of the poles either. Iris eyed the hand railings above her with a scowl; even  in heels, she was still too short to comfortably hold on to those. But the doors closed and the train was about to set into motion - Iris quickly grabbed for the railing and noted with annoyance that she had to get on her tiptoes to reach that fully – after the initial, abrupt movement Iris let go again.

She let her eyes wander about her fellow passengers, secretly looking if anyone else was having the same problem as her... But no, everyone else who had to stand and wasn't holding on to a pole was ridiculously tall... Iris scoffed. Fine, she didn't need to hold on to anything; she was an adult on the way to her adult-job and she could stand on her own feet (literally _**and**_ figuratively)! Iris crossed her  arms defiantly, suppressing the urge to pout.

_**Add a few more people and there wouldn't even be a chance of falling over in this car, anyway**_... Iris had never taken the subway during the rush hour before; her shifts at Jitters had either started earlier than that (the morning shifts had always been the most dreadful of shifts) or much later. The former barista was still mulling over this when the next stop was announced. Bracing herself for the halt, Iris put her feet a bit further apart to improve her footing. _**No big deal, just keep your balance; it can't be that har**_ \- and promptly, Iris began tumbling past a fellow straphanger – a leggy, smug-looking blonde, who of course had no trouble holding on to the handrail above – and right into someone's solid chest. With a final jolt (that made Iris grab a fistful of that someone's cardigan and also prompted said person to put a steadying hand on her hips), the train came to a complete stop.

 

“Oh my gosh, I'm **so** sorry!”

–“Whoa, careful there!”

 

Iris and the guy she currently clung to exclaimed simultaneously, only to fall awkwardly silent at the same time again. Embarrassed, Iris wanted nothing more than to tear herself away from him but due to the flock of people shoving past them to get off the train and the great amount of people who got on the train subsequently, Iris and the stranger just got pushed even closer together. When there was finally room to move again, Iris made another attempt to break away from their awkward position, when, with a start, the train started moving once more and if it hadn't been for the hand still resting on the small of her back, Iris would have been sent stumbling through the car again. As soon as Iris regained her balance once more, the guy withdrew his hand immediately, giving her a chance to take a step back. This also gave her the opportunity to get a closer look at his face (or rather, a better look; they had been close enough already, Iris recalled with her cheeks burning): he was pretty handsome, in an adorable-puppy kinda way, with very pretty green eyes and slightly tousled, light brown hair. He was very tall and presently blushing pretty hard himself.

“Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry,” Iris apologized again, pulling a stubborn lock of hair behind her ear nervously, “I didn't mean to – I didn't expect the subway to be so crowded and I was having a bit of trouble just holding on to the handrail – even in heels I'm ridiculously short-”

“That's okay; I'm tall!” the stranger blurted out excitedly before flushing beet-red, “ I mean if you need something to hold on to... and there's nothing else... you can hold on to me if you want to,” his nervous babbling began to speed up impressively,” – And I don't mean that in a creepy way, I swear!... I just wanted to... um... say that I wouldn't mind.”

He was suddenly very interested in his shoes, peeking at her from under his ridiculously long eyelashes in an adorable boyish way.

Right on cue, the next stop was announced and Iris decided to take rambling-boy up on his offer: “That's actually very nice of you, I think I'm gonna take you up on that...I'm probably a hazard for everyone else here,” she joked, eliciting a chortle from – the guy whose name she still didn't know, “I'm Iris, by the way.”

Instead of a handshake, Iris tucked her arm into his, giving him a thankful smile.

He returned her gesture with a grin of his own:“Barry.”

The train came to a halt and they were once more pushed closer together by passengers who were eager to get off the train (at least this time, it felt a lot less embarrassing than before).

“So, you haven't had the pleasure of the Central City rush hour so far?” Barry asked, while people brushed past the two of them. “You wouldn't have been surprised by how packed it is if you'd had,” he explained with a grimace while nearly getting hit in the face with an umbrella someone gesticulated with carelessly in passing, “unfortunately it's that crowded pretty much always around this time.”

Iris eyed the bustle skeptically, “Great, so there's something to look forward to...” then got back to Barry's initial question: “I used to work as a barista at Jitters; the coffee machines already have to be up and running by the time people pool into the city or there would be a massacre, believe me.”

Her response earned Iris a chuckle from Barry.

“I can imagine that.”

The subway doors were closing again and Iris held on tighter to Barry's arm, bracing herself for the upcoming jerking. Iris let her eyes wander, still a little baffled by the masses of people squeezed into the car when her gaze landed upon the leggy blonde who had now replaced that smug look of hers with a disbelieving stare at Barry and Iris's unaffected togetherness. Iris had a hard time suppressing a grin.

Barry, who hadn't noticed the incredulous look directed their way, carried on with their conversation: “So you're not a barista anymore?”

“Nope, I'm on my way to CCPN for my first day of work actually.”

“So you're a journalist?”

“I'm trying to be.”

“That's cool. I'm sure you're gonna do great; you strike me as someone who can do anything once you set their mind to it,” Barry observed, thoughtful expression on his face.

The sincerity in his voice made Iris blush a little,“well thanks for the vote of confidence, I'll certainly try my best.” They shared a sweet smile before Iris changed the subject: “And where are you off to?”

 

In the end, they ended up being so engrossed in conversation that Iris nearly missed her stop; she barely got out the subway car just in time, though she could still hear Barry's “good luck!” before the doors finally closed behind her. With a spring in her step, Iris made her way to CCPN.

* * *

The next day, Iris was eagerly waiting for the subway again, although this time her impatience was not entirely rooted in a wish to be on time for her job (she'd had plenty of time to get to the CCPN building yesterday, which had assuaged her worries considerably). When the train pulled into the station, she deliberately boarded the same subway car as yesterday, even though this one was probably the most crowded. Nervously gnawing on her lower lip, Iris looked around the car hesitantly, wondering if she was being foolish to think – her eyes came to rest on a certain tall passenger in the back of the car, who also appeared to be on the lookout for someone. Grinning, Iris pushed past a pair of chattering teenagers when said passenger noticed her as well, sporting a wide smile of his own: “Hey Iris,” he greeted her enthusiastically, blushing slightly.

“Hey Barry,” the journalist replied happily when the beeping sound of the closing doors reminded the two of them that the train was just about to pull out of the station. Without comment, Barry offered his arm to Iris (she could see a smile tugging at his lips when she linked arms with him, though and that in return, made her feel pretty giddy herself) and looked at her curiously: “So, how was your first day at work?”

The train started moving and Iris tightened her grip on Barry's arm, smiling brightly at him: “Pretty great, actually...”

** Fin. **

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Thank you so much for all your nice comments and kudos! It means a lot to me :) I decided to add a little something to this story... only that it turned into a quite-big something and I decided to break it up into two parts... I hope you'll enjoy this one, too!

Iris was on her way to the subway station, deep in thought.

Three weeks had passed since she had met Barry Allen on the subway and Iris was starting to grow impatient. Scratch that; she already was impatient, but was now becoming frustrated, too. Three weeks of talking about roommates, friends, work or whatever they had on their minds, exchanging book and music recommendations – and he still hadn't asked her out for a date! It wasn't that Iris expected being friendly fellow passengers for a few weeks would inevitably lead to a date... It was simply due to the fact that she was about ninety-five percent sure that Barry actually was interested in her (the only reason she wasn't one hundred percent certain was simply because he was just **so** nice that she couldn't rule out the possibility of being fooled by his sweet demeanor). But she had noticed those little, telltale signs: the way he smiled when she boarded the train and the disappointed look on his face when she had to get off again, him sneaking glances at her when he thought that she wasn't looking and the faint blush whenever she 'almost' caught him doing so (sometimes, Iris amused herself by pretending to look around the wagon just to 'suddenly' redirect her look at Barry; the flustered look on his face was just too adorable). All these things were pretty strong indicators that he might like her (hell; aside from the frequent blushing, she was exhibiting all of these herself!)... but still – nothing!

Reaching the platform just on time before the subway was about to arrive, Iris decided to take matters into her own hands: it was the 21st century, if he wasn't going to make a move, she would have to do the asking out!

Iris was just beginning to get nervous about her decision – because, what if she actually had misread his behavior?! It would turn into the most awkward and uncomfortable subway ride ever and maybe they would have to drop their nice little routine just because the awkwardness would be unbearable – when the train pulled into the station. The journalist squared her shoulders, hopping on 'their' subway car, ready to face the moment of truth (because no matter what – Iris West was not a quitter!) – when she realized that Barry wasn't there.

Iris checked the wagon again, maybe she had overlooked Barry somehow (which, considering his height, was pretty unlikely) – nope, there was no adorable, brightly smiling CSI to be found.

'This better not be the universe giving me some sort of sign,' Iris thought, disheartened.

* * *

Iris spent the entire subway ride uncomfortably holding on to the handrail above, people knocking against her while boarding/getting off the train (only now she realized that Barry had actually shielded her from most pushes and shoves), trying to come up with an explanation for Barry's absence: Maybe he was in another wagon (unlikely), or he had overslept and missed this train (he had told her stories about his infamous tardiness; but for the past three weeks he had always been on time for the subway, an occurrence which apparently had puzzled his boss and co-workers immensely). Perhaps he had taken a day off (but they had seen one another yesterday and he hadn't mentioned any plans of that kind) or he had caught a cold or something (though there was currently no cold epidemic going around and Barry had looked perfectly healthy to her the day before).

Iris wished they had exchanged phone numbers but they had always been too engrossed in conversation (besides, it wasn't like they had any hands free for their cellphones anyhow, with Iris clinging on to Barry and Barry holding on to the handrail).

Once more, Iris almost missed her stop because of Barry Allen; only that this time it was his lack of presence rather than the other way around...

* * *

This evening, Iris was over at her dad's like every Tuesday for the usual family dinner (except that this time, it was only her and her father; because Wally – her brother – was at his friend Kyle's birthday party). It being just the two of them was both a blessing and a curse; it meant that Wally wouldn't be there to witness what would most likely end up being a pretty embarrassing moment (and tease her endlessly about it) but on the other hand there was nobody to distract her father from her slightly nervous behavior.

Ever since Barry's absence this morning, Iris's thoughts had always come back to the same conclusion: that she could probably find out what was going on if she only asked her dad. As a detective at the CCPD, Joe West would most likely know if anything was wrong with the young forensic scientist; Central City's finest were a close-knit bunch as Iris knew from her dad's account (as well as from experience).

Even though she had been waiting the whole day to get the opportunity to ask her dad about Barry('s absence), Iris still had just enough patience in her to restrain herself from plunging right into that. After all, her father was going to talk about his job sooner or later anyway...

Two hours of preparing an entire meal plus salad plus dessert and eating said food (except for dessert) and Iris was still desperately waiting for her dad to mention the precinct! She couldn't really explain it to herself how he had managed to circumnavigate around this particular topic, but he had done it masterfully...

Running out of her last ounce of patience, Iris decided to just get it over with; maybe her dad wouldn't notice that she had an ulterior motive...

“So Dad, everything going all right at the precinct? Are you guys still profiting from Captain Singh's good mood?” Iris decided that putting in a nod to Singh's upcoming wedding would conceal the real intention of her first question a bit.

Joe took another sip of wine, looking suspiciously unconcerned: “Captain's fine. The preparations seem to be almost finished by now, so he has more time to be disgruntled again but on the whole, he's still in a fairly good mood.”

Suddenly nervous because of her father's displayed nonchalance, Iris quickly got up to stack their empty plates to take them to the kitchen, giving her dad a wide smile (probably too wide if she read that look on his face correctly): “Good... that's good.”

“Uh-huh.”

Iris could see that her dad had this very unique expression on his face that was a mixture of his 'knowing stare' and his 'glinting eyes of amusement' – combined together, they formed an entirely new look that basically said: “I know exactly what you are hiding but I'll play along just to humor you”. _ **Oh how she hated that look!**_

Defeated, Iris plopped down on her seat again with a sigh: “Fine, I'll cut to the chase...”

Her dad nodded almost imperceptibly, humming something under his breath that sounded suspiciously much like “finally”. Iris decided to forgo her father's reaction and and went on:

“You know that young CSI, right? Barry Allen?” And there was that knowing look again, this time accompanied with a small smirk.

“Well, as it turns out, he takes the same subway to work as me and when I was on my way to CCPN for that very first day of work, I kinda literally bumped into him – you wouldn't believe how crammed the subway is during the rush hour and those stupid handrails are just way too high up – anyway, “ Iris blushed, realizing that she had gotten a little sidetracked, “we sorta became subway buddies: meeting up in the same subway car, chatting friendly with one another, you know,” she added, feeling the need to clarify the situation (just so her dad wouldn't get any wrong ideas – after all, her acquaintance with Barry was purely platonic – _as of yet_ ). “And I noticed that he wasn't on the train today... I was a bit surprised by that... and I just couldn't help but wonder if you knew anything about that? I mean, like, did he take a day off or was he just late or anything of that sort?”

“So that's the reason why the-ever-tardy Allen-kid was so punctual these past weeks,” Joe mused, looking at his daughter with an unreadable expression on his face. Iris ignored her father's statement and instead quirked an eyebrow, still waiting for an answer to her previous question.

“Right,” the cop stopped his pondering and went on, “at first we had thought he had gone back to his usual pattern of tardiness but then he called in sick; apparently he had to go to the hospital,” Iris's pulse quickened, eyes wide with apprehension, “acute appendicitis, I believe – nothing too serious,” Joe was quick to add, appeasing his daughter's worry.

Iris relaxed visibly, then suddenly, an idea popped up in her head.

“Do you happen to know which hospital Barry's staying at?” Iris asked carefully, a plan forming in her mind. “I'm just curious,” she added defensively, noticing her dad's skeptical look.

“Uh-huh, sure,” he replied, obviously not believing her, “I think he's at the Central City Memorial.”

Iris nodded slowly, deep in thought, surprising her father with her lack of response.

“So that's what all the squirming was about? You were just worried about your 'subway buddy'?” Joe asked with a teasing tone in his voice, disrupting his daughter's train of thought.

Blushing, Iris practically leaped to her feet, grabbed the stack of empty plates and headed for the kitchen: “I hope you left some room for dessert.”

The sound of Joe's rumbling laugh reverberated through the dining room.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure when I'll be posting the next part... I'll be at a comic con this weekend so there won't be too much time for writing; but I'll try to hurry :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iris decides to visit Barry at the hospital :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm super sorry for taking forever to finally finish this chapter!!! Sorry guys!  
> (also, I didn't read over this a hundred times like I usually do, so if you find any errors, feel free to point them out to me so I can fix them)

The next day, Iris was able to get her hands on her dad's car. She wanted to check out the women's shelter over at Keystone to write a piece on the place (it would also come in handy for another plan she had for later that day). Joe had assured her that it was no problem at all – his newly assigned partner Eddie Thawne could pick him up for work.

 

The journalist spent the morning talking with the people running the shelter. She learned about the services and programs they offered (as well as services they would like to offer but couldn't due to underfunding), the challenges and struggles that came with running the place and even got a chance to interview a few residents.

Around noon, Iris left the shelter, after saying good-bye to its staff and residents. The journalist grabbed some lunch on the way, then drove to CCPN to write her story.

Still motivated by her previous meeting, it didn't take long for Iris to finish her first draft. She then managed to persuade her mentor Mason Bridge to read over it (whose grouchy exterior she had began to wear down slowly, but surely; especially since she had found out about his fondness for pastries).

Mason appeared to be quite impressed with Iris's article (not that he told her that forthrightly, but Iris liked to think that she knew Mason well enough now to interpret his approving nod and lack of criticism correctly). Beaming (though not too brightly while Mason was still around), Iris got back to work to incorporate the few pointers her mentor had given her and finished the story. Handing in this article felt really good. This is was exactly why Iris wanted to get into journalism in the first place: so she could give a voice to those who needed to be heard. With a spring in her step, Iris made her way to her dad's car to take on the other item on today's agenda and headed for Central City Memorial.

 

* * *

At the hospital, Iris went up the reception desk to ask for Barry's room number. The kind receptionist gave Iris the number and pointed out that she was lucky to still catch “Mr. Allen”, as he was to be discharged today. Iris thanked the lady for the information and went on to search for the room (only getting lost once).

When Iris finally found room 4.56, she took a deep breath before hesitantly knocking on the room's door.

A very familiar voice sounded from the other side of the door: “Come in!”

Iris entered the room carefully, a bashful smile on her face.

“Hey,” she said shyly.

“Iris...” Barry said softly, looking at her with wide eyes, as if he couldn't believe she was actually there. He was currently resting on top of the covers of the hospital bed, fully dressed in his usual jeans and plaid shirt. His hair was slightly messier than usual and he looked a bit paler, too, but aside from that he seemed to be okay.

“I mean, hi,” Barry added clumsily, automatically straightening up just a little, only to slightly wince when he did, “I didn't expect you to come for a visit – not that I mind of course,” the CSI was quick to add, “it's nice that you're here.”

Iris's smile grew wider. It was really crazy how much she had missed Barry's sweet awkwardness after just one day.

“I heard about your appendicitis from my dad,” she said, feeling the need to explain her surprise visit, (conveniently leaving out the part where she actually had to ask her dad to find out about that tidbit of information in the first place,) “so I just wanted to check in with you. How are you?”

“Much better than yesterday,” Barry assured her, “though it still hurts a little, of course. But the appendix didn't burst and they removed it laparoscopically, so I should be fine in 1-3 weeks.”

“Good,” Iris said, relieved, “good.”

They both smiled bashfully at each other, a strange silence falling upon them.

Their quiet was interrupted by a quick, short rap sounding from the door, before it was swiftly opened and a man in a white coat entered, who Iris assumed had to be Barry's doctor-

“Barry, I'm sorry but I'm afraid I can't drive you- oh, I didn't realize you had a visitor,” the man stopped abruptly, mustering Iris curiously.

To Iris's surprise, Barry flushed bright red. The CSI cleared his throat anxiously, rubbing his neck in a nervous gesture:

“Um, Dad, this is Iris – Iris this is my dad.”

_Oh_.

**Now** Iris definitely understood the reason behind that vibrant blush.

“Nice to meet you Mr. – um,” Iris's eyes darted to the name tag on the lab coat, and she quickly corrected herself, “Dr. Allen.”

“Nice to meet you, too,” Barry's dad replied kindly, eyeing Iris curiously.

“So you are the famous Iris?”

“Um,” was all Iris could come up with, her eyes darting over to Barry, who managed to turn an even darker shade of red Iris hadn't thought possible.

“I might have mentioned how we've bumped into each other and become subway buddies,” Barry explained in what he seemed to believe to be an nonchalant tone.

“Right,” Dr. Allen affirmed earnestly, although the crinkles around his eyes seemed to betray his seriousness.

“Anyway, “ the doctor continued, turning to Barry “I just came in to tell you that I can't take you home, son – Dr. Young called in sick and I have to take over her shift, sorry.”

“It's alright, Dad, I'll find another way to get home-”

“I could drive you home if you'd like,” Iris offered nervously.

“Oh.” Was the first response Barry came up with, his face lightening up considerably, before his cheeks reddened anew, probably from being aware of his company.

“That would be great, I mean, as long as it's not too inconvenient for you... You don't have to, of course, I'm sure I could ask Cisco to pick me up if you rather not...-”

“Barry, it's okay – I was the one to offer you a ride in the first place, remember?” Iris cut him off with a laugh; she had **really** missed Barry's nervous and endless rambles.

“Besides, we still have to make up for yesterday's subway's ride you missed out on, don't we, 'subway buddy'?” The words had just left her mouth, when Iris couldn't help but think of the _other_ thing the two of them had missed out on yesterday – the very thing that might change their status of being just that: subway _bud_ _dies_... She fought off a blush of her own.

“That's true,” Barry replied good-humoredly, blessedly unaware of Iris's struggle.

Dr. Allen, who had been watching the young adults with an amused expression on his face, had come to the conclusion that everything was settled and his presence was no longer needed: “Well, now that I know you're in good hands, I'll get back to work... Nice meeting you, Iris,” he said, flashing her a kind smile (which just bore such a resemblance to his son's that Iris couldn't help but return it, despite the fact that she was very busy not dying from awkwardness right now.)

Barry's dad was almost out of the door when he addressed his son once more: “Oh and don't forget to call your mom when you're home, slugger.” And with that, the doctor went back to work, disappearing in the many labyrinthine hallways of the hospital.

Iris couldn't help but look at Barry with a quizzical eyebrow, a grin tugging at the corner of her mouth: “Slugger?”

The young man nervously picked at a loose thread of his shirt, avoiding eye contact: “It's an old nickname... Why, can't believe that I got into my fair share of fights as a kid?”

“Oh no, I'm sure you were a regular rowdy; being president of the Pokémon club or something like that,” Iris teased.

“I wasn't in a Pokémon club,” Barry protested in fake indignation. 

“It was Dragon Ball Z.”

Iris let out a loud chortle.

 

* * *

They spent the drive to Barry's place in their usual comfortable closeness, full of banter and the swapping of anecdotes (this time specifically about their respective appendectomies – Iris's appendix had burst when she was 16 while she'd been at school; an ambulance had to pick her up and taken her to the hospital).

“After that spectacular exit, I got so many stuffed animals, 'get-well-soon' cards and boxes of chocolate...” Iris concluded her narration enthusiastically, making Barry smile at her unabashed chocolate obsession.

“Well, I'm gonna be looking forward to that,” he said teasingly, before carrying out his role as navigator and adding: “Turn the next one right and we're there.”

Iris followed his instructions and came to a halt in front of Barry's place.

“Oh, you won't have to wait too long for that,” Iris replied cryptically, putting the car into park.

Barry gave her a questioning look.

Grinning, Iris reached behind her seat and produced a brightly colored gift bag.

“As you can see, I put some chocolate in there and some of the CDs and movies I'd told you about... so you won't be too bored without me,” Iris added teasingly.

“This is amazing, Iris,” Barry said, accepting the gift bag with a soft smile. For a quick moment, Iris saw some other expression wash over his face, but before she could identify it, it was gone again, instead replaced with a look of nervous determination.

“I don't know if this will be enough to substitute for your company till I'll return to work though...” Barry suddenly appeared to be very intrigued with his hands that were still holding on to the gift bag, fingers twiddling with the straps of it, “Maybe we could meet up some time this week to talk or watch one of these movies together or something like that – only if you want to, of course!”

Iris watched Barry rattle off his suggestion with impressive speed, his pretty green eyes nervously flitting between her face and his hands.

“You mean... like a date?” she asked tentatively, trying to make sense of Barry's fidgety behavior.

She watched Barry still fiddle with the gift bag's strap, drawing in a deep breath, before he finally looked up and admitted shyly: “Um, yeah... but if you don't want to, I totally...”

He was interrupted by Iris's giggles.

“...understand?” Barry trailed off, looking adorably confused.

“I'm sorry for laughing,” Iris apologized hastily, still chuckling, “I would love to watch a movie with you – as in a date,” she was quick to add in order to assure Barry, whose facial expression changed from completely flabbergasted to utterly relieved and happy, “it's just – literally just yesterday **I** had decided to ask **you** out and when you weren't on the train, I couldn't help but worry that your absence had been some sort of sign... kinda misread that one, huh?”

“Kinda,” Barry agreed, now laughing himself – a move he regretted immediately, because heartily laughing after an _appendectomy_ was not the smartest thing he could have done.

“Ouch, sorry,” Iris apologized empathetically, watching Barry trying to mask a wince of pain.

“It's okay, really,” he reassured her, smiling brightly at her as soon as the quick pang had subsided.

Maybe it was the relief of finally knowing that he liked her back, or maybe it was just the way he looked at her like she was the greatest thing he'd ever seen – but all of a sudden, Iris felt a certain boldness she hadn't felt before.

“Maybe I should kiss it better,” she found herself saying, leaning towards Barry. She could feel his breath on her cheeks.

“Mhm,” was his breathy reply, before they both leaned in and kissed.

Something cozily warm and simultaneously positively electric washed over Iris's whole body; the kiss didn't last long, but it had felt just so _right_ , Iris couldn't believe that it had taken her and Barry three stinkin' weeks to finally make it happen.

Iris could hear Barry breathing heavily and the look in his eyes was enough for her to know that he felt the same way.

“You know what, I think this will speed up my recovery considerably,” Barry said in a low voice, making her laugh.

“Oh well – allow me to nurse you back to health,” Iris quipped, before pulling Barry into another kiss.

 

**Fin.**

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I originally had planned out a different, way more chaste ending of this chapter - but while writing, Barry and Iris made it very clear that they had other plans ;)  
> I hope you enjoyed the loooong-awaited ending of Rush Hour :)

**Author's Note:**

> This story is the first one I've written (and completed) since my very long, very persistent writer's block... so I'd be very, very thankful for comments of any kind :)


End file.
